Last Wishes
A will, a magazine, and an unusual request make for an uncommon introduction and result in a lasting legacy
Inga Warnock has dealt with unusual circumstances before. In her role as TWU’s director of planned giving, she has served as a family mediator, counsellor, and prayer partner. She has accepted donations of pianos, paintings, and even a printing press.
But last May, Warnock found herself in Northern B.C., disbursing the estate of a man she never met.
When Bert Oehlke passed away unexpectedly at the age of 59, Trinity Western University found itself among the beneficiaries of his estate. The University was also named executor, a role Warnock was called upon to fill. “For Trinity Western University to be named executor of an estate is out of the ordinary,” says Warnock.
The daunting task required her to distribute the belongings of a man largely unknown to TWU yet who, with his final wishes, made a strong statement of belief in the institution. “In some way, TWU impacted his life,” Warnock says, “and he felt comfortable asking us to take care of his affairs.”
Sorting through Oehlke’s personal effects, Warnock came across a 1982 edition of a Trinity Western newsletter. “It’s amazing that he kept it for all these years,” she says. “I think it showed how important Christian higher education was to him.”
Early on a Saturday morning, Warnock arranged the final distribution of Oehlke’s things. As friends gathered outside his home, she asked them to share their memories. “Because I hadn’t known him, it was important to me to learn what I could,” she says. “As I listened to their stories, I wished we at TWU had had the opportunity of knowing him, too.”
Oehlke’s friends spoke of adventures and eclectic hobbies, of a hard-working man who loved life and loved his God. Among the friends was Karol Skinner, who had known of Oehlke since the 1970s, when he taught at the high school her children attended. “I used to pray for that teacher who sponsored the Christian Club,” she remembers. In recent years, the two became good friends. “Bert was my buddy,” says Skinner, “He was a unique person with strong opinions about politics, religion, and the right and wrong of situations; we had many good discussions.”
A retired shop teacher and amateur radio enthusiast, Oehlke was a bachelor who lived a quiet life. He had an intimate circle of friends and was remembered by them as an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed boating, fishing, and spending time around a campfire.
Though his earthly life has come to an end, Oehlke’s legacy at TWU will last for generations to come: a portion of the proceeds of his estate was directed to an endowment which will provide valuable student scholarships.
A week after the estate was settled, in a note to Warnock, Skinner wrote: “I want to express my appreciation for the thorough, sweet job you did with us coming to Bert’s home. Thank you for wanting to know our friend.”
Warnock shrugs off praise, focusing instead on what she sees as her calling. “We didn’t have the opportunity to honour Mr. Oehlke in his lifetime,” she says, “but we want to honour him — and his legacy — in his passing.”
by Wendy Lees
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